Thursday, April 26, 2007

Did Shai Agassi read The Dip by Seth Godin?

Seth Godin recently released a new book called The Dip that fundamentally questions the belief that quitters never win and winners never quit. He argues that smart, successful people know when to quit. They recognize what fights are worth fighting, and when its time to seek out other causes. Read his excellent interview with Guy Kawasaki here. The following is a summary of the book:

Every new project (or job, or hobby, or company) starts out exciting and fun. Then it gets harder and less fun, until it hits a low point-really hard, and not much fun at all.

And then you find yourself asking if the goal is even worth the hassle. Maybe you're in a Dip-a temporary setback that will get better if you keep pushing. But maybe it's really a Cul-de-Sac, which will never get better, no matter how hard you try.

According to bestselling author Seth Godin, what really sets superstars apart from everyone else is the ability to escape dead ends quickly, while staying focused and motivated when it really counts.

Winners quit fast, quit often, and quit without guilt-until they commit to beating the right Dip for the right reasons. In fact, winners seek out the Dip. They realize that the bigger the barrier, the bigger the reward for getting past it. If you can become number one in your niche, you'll get more than your fair share of profits, glory, and long-term security.

Losers, on the other hand, fall into two basic traps. Either they fail to stick out the Dip-they get to the moment of truth and then give up-or they never even find the right Dip to conquer.

So perhaps Shai read this book and decided it was time to quit SAP. A vote for green technology or a vote against SAP?

(Note to the sense of humor challenged reader: No, I am not saying that Shai read this book and quit. Its a metaphor. Or is it a simile? Or is it just a hypothetical?)